1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an allergy testing apparatus having a tip strip defining integral well for receipt of allergen.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Allergy testing involves subjecting a patient to a wide variety of different allergens to determine which allergens cause allergic reactions in the patient. Such testing requires that the respective allergens be applied beneath the surface of the patient's skin. Typically, the patient is first screened by superficial scratches or punctures with allergens to test for severe reactions. If there are no severe reactions, the patient may be subjected to intradermal tests with small bore needles. Such allergens are typically applied in a screening test by providing a tray formed on its top side with individual bores spaced thereabout and configured for receipt of individual removable wells which are individually filled with allergen and are configured for receipt of the sharp end of picks which may pick up the allergen and apply it to the patient. A device of this type is shown in my U.S. Pat. No. 4,237,906. Such devices, while having utility, suffer the shortcoming that the individual insertion of the discrete wells into the bores formed in the tray is time consuming and can sometimes result in misplacement of the individual wells so that unnecessary time is consumed in filling the trays with the appropriate number of wells having a particular allergen for the particular procedure to be performed on an individual patient.
Other examples of allergy trays have been proposed wherein a base member is formed with a top sheet having individual wells formed integrally therein and spaced thereabout in a selected pattern so that an integral cover plate may be disposed thereover with individual plug-like tops being received telescopically into the respective individual wells to thus form a top wall for such individual wells. A device of this type is shown in my U.S. Pat. No. 5,538,134. This device, while having commercially attractive features, suffers the shortcoming that the tray forming the wells is relatively bulky thus requiring some degree of space and volume for filling of the individual wells, storage and shipping thereof.
Thus, there exists a need for an allergy testing device wherein the wells are formed integrally together and may be removably mounted from a rack or tray device.